Hunter Valley studs can take a bow! In a remarkable achievement for the Hunter Valley the entire field in Saturday's $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes are by sires standing in the region.
Photo by Bronwen Healy
He is represented by the unbeaten favourite Samaready, Raceway, Faustus, Ashokan and Later Gator, a powerful team that gives him a great chance to sire his third Golden Slipper winner in five years after his previous successes with Sebring (2008) and Phelan Ready (2009).
Next in line with two runners apiece are Coolmore's Fastnet Rock and the Arrowfield Stud pair Redoute's Choice and Snitzel.
Fastnet Rock is represented by Magic Millions winner Driefontein and the Sweet Embrace Stakes winner Jade Marauder with a win by either capping what has already been a standout season for the son of Danehill.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Not only would it be Fastnet Rock's first Golden Slipper success it would put him within reach of the Australian prizemoney record of over $11million set by his own sire Danehill..
Redoute's Choice, sire of Slipper winners Stratum (2005) and Miss Finland (2006), hasthe chance to notch his third win with the Magic Millions and Blue Diamond runner-up No Looking Back and the John O'Shea-trained colt Shelford as his two representatives.
However three other Arrowfield sires are responsible for another four runners.
Snitzel, renowned for his precocious two-year-olds, is represented by the Gerald Ryan trained pair of Amorino and Snitzeland, Not A Single Doubt with Doubtfilly and Charge Forward by Cavalry Rose.
Snitzel has thrown Golden Slipper runners in each of his first three crops, his previous runners being Chance Bye in 2010, and Hot Snitzel, Salade and Saramenha in 2011.
Amorino won his first two starts in October and December and was fourth in the Todman Stakes, while Snitzerland won in Group 3 company at Flemington last month before her second to Samaready in the Reisling Stakes.
Photo by Bronwen Healy
Charge Forward's daughter Cavalry Rose completes Gerald Ryan's trio of Golden Sipper contenders.
She added a second in last weekend's Magic Night Stakes to her Rosehill wins in January and February and is Charge Forward's third Slipper runner after Headway, second in 2009, and Solar Charged, sixth in 2010.
A fifth Arrowfield sire, Flying Spur appears as the damsire of three Golden Slipper starters - Raceway, Ashokan and Later Gator.
It is no co-incidence that all three are by More Than Ready who combined with Flying Spur's daughter Purespeed to produce Slipper winner Sebring in 2008.
Darley stallions round out the final three runners with Exceed And Excel, Lonhro and [s]Commands all having runners.
Gai Waterhouse's unbeaten Lonhro colt Pierro looms as a big danger from the rails draw while the Peter Snowden-trained Commands colt Epaulette has excellent credentials as the Black Opal Stakes winner and second to Pierro in the Todman Stakes.
The final runner for the Darley stallions is the Exceed And Excel colt Narcissus, whose dam Hasna was third in the Golden Slipper in 2003.
